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Welcome to the Birth Control Megathread (2.0)! DON'T PANIC: This behemoth isn't meant to be read through; it is more of a reference resource. If you have a question, skim through the table of contents in this first post & see if it's been addressed. If it hasn't, or if you feel you need to ask any way because we all worry a lot and babies are scary, feel free to ask anyway. We are a very friendly bunch. Using the OP: Each section and birth control method has a “code.” So do some of the more frequently asked frequently asked questions. Type the code without the space into your “find” function to jump quickly to the part you need. For example, if the code next to the thing you want is (F 100), type “F100” or “(F100).” This is so I can say “see F 100 without forcing you to jump through a thousand “see F 100”s before you get to the actual F100, where the answers you need are. Most Frequent Issues Ctrl-F the code after each question, without the space, to find the answers you need. (READ THESE BEFORE YOU POST)
General information on different methods: Ctrl-F the code after each question, without the space, to find what you need. Hormonal (A 100)
Please feel free to suggest additions or corrections! I have PMs, or you can email me at wizardofeggplant at gmail, or you can just post in the thread and hopefully I’ll see it. Happy baby-free sexing! A lot of people helped out to make this big mess o’ text. Thanks to Bagleworm, fork bomb, DRP Solved!, Kerfuffle, and others?! (The problem with the google doc business is that I don’t know who helped, so please tell me if you did! I know there’re more!) Memorial/Reference link to the previous Birth Control Megathread, which lived a long and noble life. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Feb 11, 2013 |
# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:23 |
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# ? May 8, 2024 07:01 |
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FAQs General: (A103)
Non-hormonal FAQ’s (A105)
Hormonal FAQ's (A104)
Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Apr 5, 2013 |
# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:24 |
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Types of Birth Control A lot of the information here comes from Wikipedia and Planned Parenthood. Therefore, it should be used only as a starting point, and not as gospel. Listen to your health care provider rather than us. Here is a great big awesome resource on lots of different kinds, if you wish to go beyond Wikipedia & these notes: Managing Contraception, a book. Required Reading: How is "failure rate" calculated, and what's the difference between Typical and Perfect use? (Q110) Bagleworm posted:Birth control's effectiveness is measured by two different numbers: the typical use and the perfect use failure rate. Both of them attempt to give an idea of how many pregnancies will result from the use of a single method of birth control for a year. lou reed posted:Here's a resource that calculates effectiveness of combined birth control methods: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/reproduction/the_buddy_system_effectiveness_rates_for_backing_up_your_birth_control_with_a_s Hormonal (A100) There are scores of hormonal options for birth control. They either contain an artificial progesterone (called a progestin), or both an artificial progesterone and an artificial estrogen. Typically the estrogen used is ethinyl estradiol, while there are several progestins commonly used. Ctrl-F (A 104), but without the space, for FAQs on hormonal methods in general.
Emergency contraception (for emergencies only! Unpleasant!) (A102)
Non-hormonal methods (A101) Non-hormonal methods can be good choices for women who react poorly to hormones, and condoms are the only method that men can really choose for themselves.
Permanent Methods (A107)
Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Mar 24, 2013 |
# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:25 |
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Well, it looks like you are trying to answer every birth control related question anyone could possibly have in the first two posts, so my question is: what are we supposed to do with the rest of this thread?
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:27 |
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That was quick. The goal is to replace the old thread, which is enormous & unwieldy and gets a lot of the same small questions all the time. I expect there will still be plenty of posts asking for advice, anecdotal experiences, or e/n style silliness. That is mostly what goes on in the other thread. Is that okay? I was about to PM CE or you and ask for the switchover. Sorry if I presumed :\
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:30 |
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Eggplant Wizard posted:That was quick. The goal is to replace the old thread, which is enormous & unwieldy and gets a lot of the same small questions all the time. I expect there will still be plenty of posts asking for advice, anecdotal experiences, or e/n style silliness. That is mostly what goes on in the other thread. Is that okay? I was about to PM CE or you and ask for the switchover. Sorry if I presumed :\ Yeah I know it's annoying when people ask repeat questions but that is a lot of information organized in a rather complicated fashion I just hope you guys aren't going to yell at (or report) people for asking a question that's already been answered in section R203 because I bet that is going to happen a lot. Also I don't actually moderate this forum so you don't have to listen to me, I'm just sayin is all.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:36 |
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Earwicker posted:Yeah I know it's annoying when people ask repeat questions but that is a lot of information organized in a rather complicated fashion I just hope you guys aren't going to yell at (or report) people for asking a question that's already been answered in section R203 because I bet that is going to happen a lot. Ah, fair enough. Yeeah the code system is a little silly at the moment. I might try to tidy that up if I can think of a better way. Maybe we got overexcited eta: vvvvvvvvvv I have too many loving posts already so yes good idea Bagleworm, I have done that. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jan 18, 2011 |
# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:41 |
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A good number of posts in the old thread, even from regulars, in there were posts asking for reassurance about their particular situation. And we're here to help our lady goon friends not be assholes to them. It's just an organized quick check guide for anyone who has questions they may not want to post about.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:41 |
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Maybe you should add in that most of the OP is an attempt to aggregate all the important info about all types of birth control, and it's not expected that anyone will read the whole thing before asking a question.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 02:47 |
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So they always say "before having unprotected sex, get tested." But how exactly does that work? Where do you go? Do you need an appointment? What's the turnaround? Can somebody just walk me through the whole procedure, from the initial conversation to getting the results? I've never had to deal with this but I might soon.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 03:04 |
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I just saw that you have Plan B's directions as "take 1 tablet immediately, then 1 tablet 12 hours later". This is actually less preferable to taking both at once (so you don't forget one), which is more convenient and may actually cause fewer side effects. Also, I know I've mentioned it a million times in the last thread, but this PDF book is awesome: http://www.managingcontraception.com/shopping/product.php?productid=16161&cat=3&page=1 It might be good for those goonettes who want to know everything about their birth control and don't quite trust Wikipedia.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 03:12 |
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showbiz_liz posted:So they always say "before having unprotected sex, get tested." But how exactly does that work? Where do you go? Do you need an appointment? What's the turnaround? Can somebody just walk me through the whole procedure, from the initial conversation to getting the results? I've never had to deal with this but I might soon. I believe planned parenthoods do hiv/std/etc testing. Not all of them have the same services, but you can call and ask the ones near you if they do. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to answer anything for you. e: better yet they have a big Q&A laid out about it http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hiv-testing-19857.htm Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Jan 18, 2011 |
# ? Jan 18, 2011 03:24 |
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showbiz_liz posted:So they always say "before having unprotected sex, get tested." But how exactly does that work? Where do you go? Do you need an appointment? What's the turnaround? Can somebody just walk me through the whole procedure, from the initial conversation to getting the results? I've never had to deal with this but I might soon. PP is a good bet. I am pretty sure you can get it done at your doctor's office, too. For many of them all they need to do is take a sample smear from inside your vag (I do not know what they do for men; maybe a urine test?).
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 03:42 |
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Before I had my IUD inserted, I was required to have a STD test done - they drew blood in addition to the pap smear. I had an appointment at the hospital to get the blood drawn. I don't know if that's standard procedure or not, but I've never made an appointment specifically to get tested.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 04:03 |
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Call Planned Parenthood or a local clinic and say "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment to get a full STD panel." Some cities also have free walk-in testing centers you can use instead. Be sure to ask what they're testing for (usually HSV isn't on the list). Testing methods differ. They haven't swabbed my vagina, but they've asked for blood and urine tests. Or they may want to do a cheek swab for a rapid HIV test -- every facility probably has slightly different procedures. Feel free to ask what to expect.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 04:26 |
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I've been taking birth control pills since I was 18 (now 23) and I'd like to have babies eventually. Do women typically have difficulties becoming pregnant after having been on the pill for many years?
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 05:18 |
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Hirudo posted:I've been taking birth control pills since I was 18 (now 23) and I'd like to have babies eventually. Do women typically have difficulties becoming pregnant after having been on the pill for many years? Not really. In fact return to fertility happens within 1-3 months for most women.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 05:21 |
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DRP Solved! posted:Not really. In fact return to fertility happens within 1-3 months for most women. It can take 6 months to a year for some women, though, just to give you an idea of the range of time it might take. I went off birth control in January '09 and got pregnant in July '09. I always had irregular periods too, but I didn't bleed at all between going off the pill and getting pregnant, which is also interesting.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 05:49 |
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I had posted a little in the other thread about my girlfriend's (now wife!) experiences with IUD's, and figured people might find it interesting to get a second-hand perspective on it. She started with a copper IUD because of a worry about hormonal drugs interacting with a medication she was on. It was extremely painful for her within an hour of having it inserted (amazingly the insertion didn't hurt her at all). We had read though how it was painful at first, so she decided to just keep toughing it out. This continued on for months, with it being most painful around her periods. Eventually this led to a diagnosis of endometriosis, which she had surgery to try to get rid off. Anyways, for way too long she kept wanting to tough it out so that she didn't "waste" the money we paid for the IUD, but eventually I convinced her to switch to a Mirena (she was off the medication by this point). The Mirena was MUCH better, and also significantly smaller. Our current theory is that the copper IUD was so painful because her uterus is quite small (based on sonograms we had done) and the copper IUD was hitting up against it all the time and irritating it. The Mirena is also supposed to help surpress endometriosis. She's been on that for over a year now, and it's been working much better for her. She no longer has any periods at all, except for spotting every once in a really great while, and her endometriosis symptoms have gone way down. And she never has to remember to take any pill nor seems to have much of the side effects of the normal pill since the dosage level is so small. We plan on using this indefinitely, and she highly recommends it to all her friends.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 07:56 |
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Not exactly related to birth control, but she also wanted me to get out the word to as many people as possible about how to prevent UTI's, since she was getting multiple ones a month at one point, even with peeing and cleaning up after wards each time. And it's not that I have a dirty penis, my ex never had any problems! We got these little soap towelettes from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SY2344/ref=oss_product) and each wipe our genitals down before sex each time. She's been UTI free for months now since we started that, and it's no more of a hassle than putting on a condom. So if you find yourself or a friend having UTI's all the freaking time no matter how much they pee or suck down cranberries tablets, give those towelettes a try.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 08:00 |
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BananaFusion posted:Not exactly related to birth control, but she also wanted me to get out the word to as many people as possible about how to prevent UTI's, since she was getting multiple ones a month at one point, even with peeing and cleaning up after wards each time. And it's not that I have a dirty penis, my ex never had any problems! These wipes (which contain coconut oil) should definitely not be used by anyone relying on latex or polyisoprene condoms for birth control though, because they will make the condoms less effective and more likely to break.
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# ? Jan 18, 2011 16:42 |
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As someone who works in reproductive health care, I am genuinely impressed by the thoroughness and accuracy of the op. There are so many awful misconceptions (zing) about birth control that it's nice to know they won't be bandied about in this thread.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 01:13 |
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Paragard/copper IUD trip report: I got my IUD in November 2009 and posted a few times about terrible pain afterward, so I thought I should give my impressions now. For reference, I am currently 24 and married with no children. My fantastic gynecologist suggested the IUD when I was 23 (then engaged) because I can't use hormonal birth control for medical reasons. For me, the IUD is great. The first 7-9 months of periods were (relative to what I'd had previously, at least) hellishly painful and had absurd, Ultra-tampon-soaked-in-4-hours bleeding. After that, the pain and bleeding plummeted back down to slightly worse than pre-IUD. If I put a number on it, maybe 15% more bleeding and cramping? Otherwise, no discomfort, no worries, and no accidental babies so far!
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 01:42 |
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SimHuman posted:Paragard/copper IUD trip report: I got my IUD in November 2009 and posted a few times about terrible pain afterward, so I thought I should give my impressions now. For reference, I am currently 24 and married with no children. My fantastic gynecologist suggested the IUD when I was 23 (then engaged) because I can't use hormonal birth control for medical reasons. Thank you for posting your update! I just got the Paragard in November of 2010 so I've only had it for about 2 months and I have been considering removal because my periods are so awful, but if it gets better then I may just stick it out. You have given me hope. Thank you.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 03:16 |
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you forgot the most important form of birth control: abstinence!!!! It may also be useful to talk about failure rates because people suck at numbers. I could do a quick write up if nobody else wants to.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 05:44 |
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I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this in, but I figured it must be since it is regarding birth control. (I searched the forums and I have looked a bit online--either nobody has asked and/or the detailed information is not easily available or I suck majorly at searching.) RE: Yasmin and Potassium I am currently on a daily treatment taking a supplement pill called "Sierra Sil" for joint pain. I take 3 times a day. It says on the bottle "Joint Forumla14 supports joint health and mobility. Start feeling better in 14 days or less. JF14 contains SierraSil, a pure, all natural mineral power with essential minerals including calcium, iron, and other trace minerals such as silicon, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc...etc etc" I bought it at a health food store after my boyfriend looked into it and thought it would help ease my chronic wrist/hand pain. I didn't think about the potassium issue until recently stumbling across it while reading information about Yasmin. Apparently Yasmin has potassium in it, and potassium supplements should not be combined with the birth control. Now Sierra Sil is not purely a potassium supplement. Also, the bottle of Sierra Sil I have also does not say exactly how much potassium is in it. It only says what I quoted above and that each capsule contains: "SierraSi...667 mg" Helpful I know. I am not sure how much potassium conflicts with Yasmin, and I was wondering if anyone knew more information about this. My guess is that what I am taking probably doesn't strongly conflict with it but it's only a guess. I'll talk to my doctor when I can to find out more. Any links or information you can provided would be very much appreciated (especially those saying how much potassium conflicts with Yasmin). Sometimes my doctor does not know much and the last time I asked him questions he told me to further research it on the internet. He's not the best doctor but there aren't many in the city that are accepting new patients. Thank you for your help.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 06:38 |
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Ask your pharmacist. Hell, any pharmacist. This is their area. They'll be able to tell you if you shouldn't take it and can possibly suggest a better option for your joints if it's not compatible. Don't take it until you're sure, stop if you're taking it already.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 06:48 |
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I'm an off and on again Depo Provera user. I get it for dysmenorrhea and it works wonders. I've never had a side effect off of it and would recommend it for this use. Now, a question: Is it normal for doctors to force me to get a pregnancy test before each shot, or is this a regional and/or moral thing? I noticed when I lived in California, they would give it to me, and most clinics had it available. I currently live in Arizona and not only is it hard to find a clinic with any birth control options (much less Depo), they do this to me every time. Even though I'm getting it for not sex related reasons. They always seem very hostile and angry when I do manage to be able to get the shot administered and tell me I should go off so I could have a baby/family someday. I've even had doctors outright not give it to me here saying I was using it to cover up an abortion I wanted to have in secret or some other bizarre conspiracy. It's all very passive aggressive on the best of days getting it here. I figure I would tell them I'm gay, but given that it's Arizona, and I won't be here more than two a half months more at most, it's not worth any further ostracizing. Unfortunately I've had to drop it for now due to their hostile attitudes towards me about it.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 13:12 |
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Sapphic Swordsaint posted:I'm an off and on again Depo Provera user. I get it for dysmenorrhea and it works wonders. I've never had a side effect off of it and would recommend it for this use. The nutjobbery is all theirs. If you just want to get in, get what you want, and get out, I'd recommend striking up a conversation with the nurse and getting a little TMI pretty quickly: "Oh, I sure am glad I found this shot, isn't it amazing. I used to bleed all the time, you know, and I was afraid I would just bleed so much I wouldn't be able to have babies down the road. But this shot stops all that worry, isn't that a wonderful thing?" It's lying, but it hurts nobody and it makes your life way, way easier. v Better than latex for this laydee, too. Apart from the "WAIT STOP I think it broke or came off or disappeared!" factor! Lifestyles Skyn hell yeah. Anne Whateley fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Jan 19, 2011 |
# ? Jan 19, 2011 13:23 |
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As someone with a latex allergy, I tried out the polyisoprene and polyurethane condoms. Polyisoprene are awesome! And have gotten comments that they are better than latex for the men! Very thin, and very strong Polyurethane are thick and I just don't like em.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 13:43 |
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Anne Whateley posted:It seems normal if you're on-again, off-again. Like, if you got a shot four or five months ago, then for the last 1-2 months you haven't been protected; it's like you're starting birth control all over again. They want to be sure you didn't get pregnant during the last few unprotected months, because if you did and then they give you a shot full o' hormones, it wouldn't be good news for the baby. That part is covering their asses. I should have been more clear. Sorry! By that I meant I would get it regularly for a few years then miss it for a while due to funds but then go back on it again regularly when I could. I would be in once every 3 months like clockwork and the same people will still be making me piss in cups. They seem to have the biggest batch of paranoia over babies I've ever seen any medical office have. Thanks for everything else though! I'll try that.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 13:59 |
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Sapphic Swordsaint posted:I should have been more clear. Sorry! By that I meant I would get it regularly for a few years then miss it for a while due to funds but then go back on it again regularly when I could. I would be in once every 3 months like clockwork and the same people will still be making me piss in cups. They seem to have the biggest batch of paranoia over babies I've ever seen any medical office have. When I was on Depo they made me have a pregnancy test every 3 months too. They said it was just in case and for my safety. I don't think it's a case of paranoia, I think it's them doing their jobs lol
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 14:03 |
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I seem to recall reading that if you get pregnant while on Depo/have recently been on Depo, there's a higher risk of some complications or illnesses in the baby's early years. Although I think in your case they're just hatin' on birth control because clearly you should be pregnant, married and raising a family by now. Edit: and yeah, it's probably a good idea to have some explanation of what, exactly, a typical and perfect use failure rate means. I've seen many people think the failure rate is for every time you have sex, and that would be... scary. :/ Bagleworm fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Jan 19, 2011 |
# ? Jan 19, 2011 15:07 |
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Anne Whateley posted:
I agree with this. I live in an area where it is (sadly) very hard to get birth control. Practically every GYN in this area (at least all of the ones covered by my insurance) are affiliated with the local Catholic hospital and will not prescribe birth control at all. I called a few the other day just to make sure and when I asked one of the receptionists if they prescribed birth control she said "No, but we do counsel on natural family planning." What the gently caress is that? Anyway, our local Planned Parenthood is renovating and has limited appointments, so I'm driving an extra half an hour to one. Living in the boonies is not fun. Thank God for Planned Parenthood!
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 15:14 |
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Sapphic Swordsaint posted:I'm an off and on again Depo Provera user. I get it for dysmenorrhea and it works wonders. I've never had a side effect off of it and would recommend it for this use. If things are that bad, have you tried contacting your local Planned Parenthood affiliate? I realize that there may be a distance thing because Arizona is so big and spread out, but you should never have a problem getting easy access to birth control at a PP affiliate.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 17:12 |
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Maybe a silly question: how common is depression as a side effect of birth control pills? I was prescribed a 3-month trial Loestrin 24 in October, to see if it would help with some breakthrough bleeding I had been having. When I ran out a couple of weeks ago, the severe depression that had been affecting me for the past 2 months lifted as if by magic within a couple of days. Of course, that wasn't the only thing going on in my life at the time, so maybe it's just a coincidence. I had been on a different pill (don't remember which) a few years ago with no side effects.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 17:49 |
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It's very possible. Especially if going off the birth control was the only thing that changed. It's not uncommon, but side effects vary from person to person.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 19:01 |
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I started the Evra patch about 6 weeks ago (a few days before my period started) and am still waiting for my cycle to get back to normal, can you give me any idea of when it will settle down time wise? Edit: It has started to control some mid cycle breakthrough bleeding issues I had due to Thyroid issues, but I was just wondering when I could ideally get back to some sort of regular cycle.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 20:22 |
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favoritehello posted:RE: Yasmin and Potassium I wholeheartedly support what some other posters have said about discussing this with your pharmacist, but I figured I might be able to elaborate a bit. First, I'd like to say that, given the contents of the supplemented listed on the product website (http://www.sierrasil.com/composition.php), this supplement is unlikely to do anything at all for your wrist and hand pain. Second, Yasmin does not really itself contain potassium, but contains a hormone that is very similar to spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic. This means that the Yasmin can cause you to retain more potassium, and possibly too much potassium, which could lead to heart arrhythmias. Honestly, if you're on Yasmin it's a good idea to get blood tests every few months or so at first to make sure that your potassium levels are in check. Anyway, according to the product website, you only get about 20 mg of potassium per day (less than contained in 1/20th of a banana) from taking 3 pills daily, so it's not a very large amount of potassium. tl;dr: The supplement won't help your wrist/hand pain. The supplements don't contain very much potassium and shouldn't affect your potassium levels much. Go to a doctor about your wrist pain and get some routine bloodwork for your potassium while you're on the Yasmin.
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 20:47 |
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# ? May 8, 2024 07:01 |
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I'm 23 and I've been on the pill for 3 years now, Yaz before and now Loestrine 24, and they both have 4 placebo pills instead of 7. Ever since I started taking the pill my period would come on the 3rd or 4th day into the placebo pills and go through the first day or two into the next pack. I'm concerned about the timing of my period. I've even tried putting off starting the next pack for a few days to make the placebo last 6 or 7 days rather than 4, but my period would then come a few days later the next month. I'm worried because that means I'm not getting the hormones in the last few days before my period, I just want to be sure I'm still protected. I know it's been answered before but the fact that my period is very insistent on being "late" I'm wondering if this has any impact on how effective the pill would be. I'm also concerned because due to health issues in the past few years my period is getting lighter and shorter and I've even missed a period here and there. If I miss a period would that also impact how protected I am on the pill, assuming it's not due to pregnancy?
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# ? Jan 19, 2011 20:54 |